Easy A(stylized aseasy A) is a 2010 Americanteenromantic comedyfilm directed byWill Gluck,written byBert V. Royal,starringEmma Stone,Penn Badgley,Amanda Bynes,Thomas Haden Church,Patricia Clarkson,Cam Gigandet,Lisa Kudrow,Malcolm McDowell,Aly Michalka,andStanley Tucci.The screenplay was partially inspired by the 1850 novelThe Scarlet LetterbyNathaniel Hawthorne.
| Easy A | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Will Gluck |
| Written by | Bert V. Royal |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Michael Grady |
| Edited by | Susan Littenberg |
| Music by | Brad Segal |
Production companies | Screen Gems Olive Bridge Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 92 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $8 million[2] |
| Box office | $75 million[3] |
Shot atScreen Gemsstudios and inOjai, California,the film was released on September 17, 2010. The film received positive reviews with high praise for Stone's performance, and was a major financial success, grossing $75 million worldwide against a budget of $8 million. Stone received aGolden Globenomination forBest Actress in a Comedy or Musical,while the movie won theCritics' Choice AwardforBest Comedy.
The film is ranked as number 14 onEntertainment Weekly's 2021 list of the Best High School Movies.[4]Easy Ais also Bynes’ last appearance in a motion picture film before her retirement from acting that same year (2010).
Plot
editThe story is narrated by Olive Penderghast, a seventeen-year-old high school student living inOjai, California,speaking into her webcam.
Desperate to avoid going on a camping trip with her best friend Rhiannon Abernathy and Rhiannon's hippie parents, Olive dishonestly claims she is going on a date with a college boy that weekend; truthfully, she stays home all weekend listening toNatasha Bedingfield's "Pocketful of Sunshine"from amusical greeting cardher grandmother sent her. Pressed by Rhiannon the following Monday, Olive eventually folds and lies about having lost her virginity to the boy she ostensibly went out with. Prudish, devout Christian student Marianne Bryant overhears their conversation, and Olive's story soon spreads throughout the school. The school's church group, run by Marianne, decides to "save" Olive from her supposed promiscuity. Olive confides the truth to gay student Brandon (Dan Byrd), who is bullied for his sexual orientation. She agrees to pretend to have sex with him at a party so people will believe he is straight.
After a fight with Rhiannon, Olive decides to counteract the harassment by embracing her new reputation as a "tramp," beginning to dress more provocatively and stitching a red "A" onto her clothes, inspired byHester PrynnefromNathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 novelThe Scarlet Letter,which she has been reading in English class. Boys who have had no previous luck with girls beg Olive to increase their popularity by letting them claim they have had sex with her, which she does in exchange for gift cards to various stores. Marianne's boyfriend Micah contractschlamydiafrom sleeping with the school guidance counselor Mrs. Griffith, but claims Olive was the one who gave it to him. Because Mrs. Griffith's husband, Mr. Griffith, is Olive's favorite teacher, she accepts the blame to spare their marriage.
The church youth group, now including Rhiannon, begins harassing Olive in an attempt to get her to drop out of school. She goes on a date with Rhiannon's crush Anson, which ends with her storming off angrily after he tries bribing her to actually have sex with him and not just claim that she did.
Olive reconnects with Todd, her childhood crush and the school mascot, who says he does not believe the rumors because she lied for him when he was not ready for his first kiss years ago. She decides to ask everyone she lied for to admit the truth, but nobody is willing to relinquish their newfound reputations. When Mrs. Griffith also refuses to admit to her affair with Micah, Olive threatens to expose her, but Mrs. Griffith says no one would believe her. Olive immediately informs Mr. Griffith, who subsequently separates from his wife.
After talking with her mother, Olive comes up with a plan – she performs a song-and-dance number at a pep rally to draw people's attention and tells them to watch her webcast that night, promising an onlinesex showwith Todd. In reality, it is the webcast that has served as theframe storyfor the film. As Olive is concluding her webcast, Todd comes by her house riding a lawn mower. She signs off by saying that she may lose her virginity to him eventually, but declares it "nobody's goddamn business". Olive texts Rhiannon and apologizes for lying to her. She goes outside to meet Todd, and they kiss before riding off on the lawn mower.
Cast
edit- Emma Stoneas Olive Penderghast
- Juliette Gogliaas young Olive
- Penn Badgleyas "Woodchuck/Lobster" Todd
- Braeden Lemastersas young Todd
- Amanda Bynesas Marianne Bryant
- Dan Byrdas Brandon
- Aly Michalkaas Rhiannon Abernathy
- Thomas Haden Churchas Mr. Griffith
- Lisa Kudrowas Mrs. Griffith
- Patricia Clarksonas Rosemary Penderghast
- Stanley Tuccias Dill Penderghast
- Cam Gigandetas Micah
- Malcolm McDowellas Principal Gibbons
- Mahaley Patelas Nina Howell
- Jake Sandvigas Anson
- Bryce Clyde Jenkins as Chip Penderghast
- Johanna Braddyas Melody Bostic
- Fred Armisenas Pastor Bryant
- Stacey Travisas Mrs. Bryant
- Max Crummas Pontius
- Yoshi Sudarsoas Eric Ling
- Lalaineas Gossipy Girl
Production
editDevelopment
editScreenwriterBert V. Royalclaims to have written the entire screenplay, except for the last ten pages, in five days.[5]Royal's plan was to adapt three classic works into films and to set them at the same high school, so that some characters would appear in multiple films. BesidesThe Scarlet Letter,which was the source material forEasy A,Royal wanted to adaptCyrano de BergeracandThe Mystery of Edwin Drood.[5]Natasha Bedingfield's song "Pocketful of Sunshine",which becomes arunning jokein the film, was not in Royal's original script. He envisioned "Olive", a track fromKen Nordine's 1966 albumColors,to play during Olive's weekend montage (which introduces the song).[5]DirectorWill Gluck's favorite film isFerris Bueller's Day Offand has multiple homages to it in the film (Olive's shower Mohawk, "never had one lesson" ), among many otherJohn Hughesreferences.[6]According to Royal, although the word "fuck"appeared 47 times in the original draft, which was written as an R-rated comedy, all occurrences were cut from the final film. Gluck shot other versions of many scenes, with or without coarse language.[5]Although the film was cut down for a wider audience, it still obtained a 15 rating in theUnited Kingdom.[7]
Filming
editGluck credits Stone with improvising the line about being a "Gossip Girlin theSweet ValleyofTraveling Pants".[8]The entire film was shot inOjai, Californiain the summer of 2009, usingPanavision'sGenesisand laterfilmized.Not a single film set was used; even the houses in the film belong to Ojai residents. The school used as "Ojai North High School" in the film isNordhoff High School,and the end credits are filmed on Fordyce Road, both located in Ojai, California.
Soundtrack
editThe soundtrack was released byMadison Gate Recordson September 14, 2010, and is available viaiTunes.It features tracks fromJessie J,Lenka,Natasha Bedingfield,Kardinal Offishall,andCary Brothers.Other songs in the film but not on the soundtrack album are fromOneRepublic,Angus & Julia Stone,The Dollyrots,Death Cab for Cutie,andThe Pussycat Dolls.[9]
| Easy A (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack albumby Various Artists | |
| Released | September 14, 2010 |
| Genre | Pop,hip hop,rock,punk rock,new wave |
| Label | Madison Gate Records |
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Change of Seasons" | Sweet Thing | 3:46 |
| 2. | "Bad Before Good" | Day One | 3:50 |
| 3. | "Trouble Is a Friend" | Lenka | 3:37 |
| 4. | "If You Were Here" | Cary Brothers | 3:49 |
| 5. | "15 Minutes" | The Yeah You's | 3:30 |
| 6. | "Cupid Shoot Me" | Remi Nicole | 3:43 |
| 7. | "Satellite" | Kram | 3:06 |
| 8. | "Don't You (Forget About Me)" | AM | 4:23 |
| 9. | "We Go Together" | I Heart Homework | 3:17 |
| 10. | "Numba 1 (Tide Is High)" | Kardinal Offishall | 3:42 |
| 11. | "Perfect Picture" | Carlos Bertonatti | 3:06 |
| 12. | "The Wolf" | Miniature Tigers | 2:35 |
| 13. | "Sexy Silk" | Jessie J | 2:43 |
| 14. | "When Life Gives Me Lemons I Make Lemonade" | The Boy Least Likely To | 3:42 |
| 15. | "Pocketful of Sunshine" | Natasha Bedingfield | 3:24 |
| 16. | "Don't You (Forget About Me)" | Simple Minds | 4:23 |
Release
edit
Easy Ahad itsworld premiereat the2010 Toronto International Film Festival.[10]
Home media
editEasy Awas released onDVDandBlu-ray Discon December 21, 2010.[11]The DVD features a gag reel,Emma Stone's audition footage, anaudio commentarywith director Gluck and Stone, and previews. Blu-ray exclusive bonus features include: The Making ofEasy A,The School of Pop Culture: Movies of the '80s, Vocabulary of Hilarity and a trivia track.
Reception
editBox office
editThe film opened on September 17, 2010, and grossed $6,787,163 on its opening day and $17,734,040 in its opening weekend, placing second behindThe Townon both figures, and already making back more than double the film's slim $8 million budget. This was in line with expectations from Sony of an opening weekend take of around $15 million.[2] The film grossed a total of $58,401,464 in the United States and Canada plus $16,624,752 in international markets for a worldwide total of $75,026,216, earning its budget back more than nine times, making it a huge financial success.[3]
Critical response
editOn thereview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes,Easy Ahas an approval rating of 85% based on 193 reviews, with anaverage ratingof 7.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "It owes a huge debt to older (and better) teen comedies, butEasy Aproves a smart, witty showcase for its irresistibly charming star, Emma Stone. "[12]Another review aggregator,Metacritic,assigned the film a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[13]Audiences polled byCinemaScoregave it an average grade of A− on an A+ to F scale.[14]
Chicago Sun-Timesfilm criticRoger Ebertgave the film three and a half out of four stars, writing: "Easy Aoffers an intriguing middle ground to the absolute of sexual abstinence: Don't sleep with anybody, but say you did. It's a funny, engaging comedy that takes the familiar but underrated Emma Stone and makes her, I believe, a star. "[15]Richard CorlissofTimemagazine named Emma Stone's performance one of the ten best film performances of 2010: "Stone lends winning maturity and a gift for making sassy dialogue sound natural. This 22-year-old is an actress-personality — a star — around whom Hollywood could build some pretty good movies."[16]John Griffiths fromUs Weeklygave it two and a half stars out of four: "With her husky voice and fiery hair, Stone is spectacular, echoing earlyLindsay Lohan...The story is thin, and the laughs meager. "[17]
The IndependentpraisedEasy Afor redefining tropes of teen films, particularly sex comedies.[18]In a retrospective piece forThe Washington Post,Anying Guo discussed its influence, pointing out how it subverted "sex-crazed tropes into a sharp, thoughtful film" by satirizing teens' obsession with virginity itself.[19]Guo added: "Packed with references to “Say Anything”and other ’80s homages, the film felt refreshing against the steady churn of bildungsroman narratives that often centered on young men. "[19]
Accolades
edit| Ceremony | Category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artios Awards[20] | Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Feature – Studio or Independent Comedy | Lisa Miller Katz | Nominated |
| The Comedy Awards | Best Comedy Film | Easy A | Nominated |
| Best Comedy Actress | Emma Stone | Nominated | |
| Best Comedy Director | Will Gluck | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Awards | Best Comedy Film | Easy A | Won |
| Dorian Awards | Unsung Film of the Year | Won | |
| EDA Awards | Actress Defying Age and Ageism | Patricia Clarkson | Nominated |
| Eddie Awards | Best Edited Feature Film – Comedy or Musical | Susan Littenberg | Nominated |
| Empire Awards | Best Comedy | Easy A | Nominated |
| GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding Film – Wide Release | Nominated | |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Emma Stone | Nominated |
| Golden Schmoes Awards | Best Comedy of the Year | Easy A | Nominated |
| Biggest Surprise of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress of the Year | Emma Stone | Nominated | |
| Breakthrough Performance of the Year | Nominated | ||
| MTV Movie Awards | Best Female Performance[21] | Nominated | |
| Best Comedic Performance[22] | Won | ||
| Best Line from a Movie[23] | Emma Stone andAmanda Bynes | Nominated | |
| People's Choice Awards | Favorite Comedy Movie | Easy A | Nominated |
| Russian National Movie Awards | Best Foreign Comedy Movie | Nominated | |
| St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Awards | Best Comedy | Nominated | |
| Special Merit(for best scene, cinematic technique or other memorable aspect or moment) | For theJohn Hughestribute near the beginning. | Nominated | |
| Teen Choice Awards[24][25] | Choice Movie: Romantic Comedy | Easy A | Won |
| Choice Movie Actor: Romantic Comedy | Penn Badgley | Nominated | |
| Choice Movie Actress: Romantic Comedy | Emma Stone | Won | |
| Choice Movie: Female Scene Stealer | Aly Michalka | Nominated |
Sequel/spin-off
editIt was announced on June 20, 2019, that a spin-off film ofEasy Ais in development, which will be written and directed by Bert V. Royal.[26]Further confirmation of the film came in 2021, withAly Michalkastating: "There are talks that there might be a sequel. That actually is semi real.... It would be kind of like a new retelling but you'd see some of the characters from the original come back into the story."[27]
References
edit- ^"EASY A(15) ".British Board of Film Classification.August 12, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on October 1, 2015.RetrievedNovember 22,2014.
- ^abFritz, Ben (September 16, 2010)."Movie projector: 'Easy A' expected to lead 'The Town,' 'Devil,' 'Alpha and Omega'".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on February 3, 2019.RetrievedSeptember 16,2010.
- ^ab"Easy A (2010)".Box Office Mojo.Amazon.Archivedfrom the original on March 4, 2016.RetrievedApril 4,2020.
- ^"50 Best High School Movies".EW.May 14, 2021.Archivedfrom the original on June 22, 2019.RetrievedMarch 31,2022.
- ^abcd"Easy A Q&A".Creative Screenwriting Magazine Podcast.September 14, 2010. Archived from the original on May 11, 2011.RetrievedOctober 4,2011.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^Clark, Krystal (October 14, 2010)."Interview: Director Will Gluck for Easy A".ScreenCrave.Archived fromthe originalon July 16, 2011.RetrievedMarch 1,2011.
- ^"EASY A rated 15 by the BBFC".Bbfc.co.uk. August 12, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon July 21, 2012.RetrievedOctober 4,2011.
- ^Yamato, Jen (September 18, 2010)."Easy ADirector Will Gluck on Teen Sex and '80s Fantasy Boyfriends ".Archived fromthe originalon September 21, 2010.RetrievedDecember 13,2010.
- ^"Easy A (2010)".Archivedfrom the original on January 8, 2017.RetrievedJune 29,2018– via imdb.
- ^ Corliss, Richard(September 17, 2010)."Easy A:We ♥ Emma Stone ".Time.Archived fromthe originalon September 18, 2010.
- ^"'Easy A' DVD Release Date Announced ".BuzzFocus.Archived fromthe originalon November 15, 2010.RetrievedNovember 23,2010.
- ^"Easy A (2010)".Rotten Tomatoes.Archivedfrom the original on January 25, 2011.RetrievedJanuary 18,2020.
- ^"Easy Areviews ".Metacritic.Archivedfrom the original on December 20, 2013.RetrievedFebruary 17,2020.
- ^"CinemaScore".cinemascore.Archived fromthe originalon September 16, 2017.
- ^Ebert, Roger(September 15, 2010)."Review:"Easy A"".Chicago Sun-Times.Archived fromthe originalon October 10, 2012.RetrievedOctober 8,2010.
- ^Corliss, Richard (December 9, 2010)."The Top 10 Everything of 2010 - Emma Stone as Olive in Easy A".Time.Archived fromthe originalon December 13, 2010.RetrievedDecember 13,2011.
- ^US Weekly - Issue 829 - Dated January 3, 2011.
- ^Lewis, Isobel (September 21, 2020)."Sexless Comedy, Cool Parents and a Cocky Emma Stone: How Easy A Redefined the Noughties Teen Film".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on March 31, 2022.RetrievedMarch 31,2022.
- ^abGuo, Anying (September 16, 2020)."I saw the teen comedies of my generation, but they didn't see me. Then came 'Easy A.'".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on October 24, 2021.RetrievedMarch 31,2022.
- ^"2011 Artios Award Nominations for Outstanding Achievement in Casting".Casting Society of America.2011.Archivedfrom the original on January 1, 2012.RetrievedJanuary 7,2012.
- ^"Best Female Performance"ArchivedMarch 4, 2012, at theWayback Machine.MTV Movie Awards.Retrieved May 3, 2011.
- ^"Best Comedic Performance"ArchivedMarch 4, 2012, at theWayback Machine.MTV Movie Awards.Retrieved May 3, 2011.
- ^"Best Line from a Movie"ArchivedMarch 4, 2012, at theWayback Machine.MTV Movie Awards.Retrieved May 3, 2011.
- ^"Teen Choice Awards 2011: The Winners".Elena Gorgan. August 8, 2011.Archivedfrom the original on May 28, 2023.RetrievedAugust 8,2011.
- ^"Teen Choice Awards 2010: Second (Giant) Wave Of Nominees Announced!".Archived fromthe originalon November 5, 2013.RetrievedAugust 15,2011.
- ^Kroll, Justin (June 20, 2019)."'Easy A' Spinoff in the Works From Original Screenwriter (Exclusive) ".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on June 20, 2019.RetrievedJune 20,2019.
- ^"Aly Michalka Reveals a Potential Easy a Sequel is in the Works".July 25, 2021.Archivedfrom the original on July 27, 2021.RetrievedJuly 27,2021.
External links
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